Tweezers



?atented Een. l2, 195@ anali UNITED STATES PATENT" OFFICE TWEEZERSWilliam R. Heilig, Chcago,.il.

Application May 5, 1947, SerialNo. 745,925

4 Claims- (Cl. 12S-354) My invention relates to an improvement intweezers andv has for one purpose the provision of tweezers for; pickingup small articles, removing hair, or the like.

One object is the provision of such tweezers in which,` in response tothe normal closing operation, a pair of opposedgripping membershaveimparted to them a unitary sharp outward jerkingV movement.

Another purpose is the provision of improved trip` means for such.tweezers whereby, when a predetermined pressure is applied to theopposed tweezers members, they are jerked sharply backward in relationtothe tweezers handle as a whole.

Another purpose is the provision of improved means for guiding themovable tweezers members of a tweezers assembly.

Another purpose is to provide an improved housing; for such tweezerswhich protects the operating structure` without impeding its operation.

Another purpose is to provide a structure in which an outer housingcooperates with the tweezers mechanism during the normal operation ofthe device.

Other purposes will appear from time to time in the course of thespecication and claims.

I illustrate my invention more or less diagrammatically in theaccompanying drawing wherein:

Figure 1 is a plan view of the invention with the top plate removed;

Figure 2 is a section taken on line 2--2 of Figure l;

Figure 3 is a plan View illustrating the parts in different position;and

Figure 4 is a section taken on line 1 4 of Figure l.

Referring to the drawings, I illustrate a tweezers structure housed in acasing. The casing may be of a wide variety of shapes, but I illustratea casing having opposite walls I and 2 lying in generally parallelplanes, but preferably being youtwardly somewhat convex as at 3. One ofthe plates may include edge ilanges 4 and an end thickened portion 5.The two plates may be held together by any suitable means, such asscrews 6 and l. The plates are also connected by pivot pins 8, 9, towhich are pivoted lever members Iii, Il having exterior linger portionsI2 and an inner cam I3. The parts are so proportioned that the fingerportions I2 are exterior to the plates I and 2, which may be cut away orreduced, as at I4, the cut-away portions being separated by a forwardextension I5 of insufficient length or width to interfere with manualmanipulation of the levers Ill, il by manual engagement of thenger-pieces I2.

The tweezers structure is as follows: A guiding pin 20, headed as at 2l,is received in an aperture 22 in the base or end portion 5 of the plate2. It may be adjusted by screw-threaded engagement with a nut 23, itsend being channeled as at 2li to receiveA` a screwdriver or equivalenttool. The-tweezers structure smounted for longitudinal movement' in thepin 2li. It includes a frame element 25 apertured to ride on theV pin2li and normally forwardly thrust therealong by thel coil spring 2li.The head 2i constitutes a forward limit for theA movement of the framemember 25.

Spot-welded or otherwise secured to the :arms 2'! of the frame 25 aretweezers elements 28; 29, of suitable spring stock, which terminate inthe opposed grippingsurfaces St. At all positions of the-parts the endsof the tweezers members and 29 are exterior to the above describedhousing or container.

When the spring 2li is permitted its full expansion, as in Figure l, iturges the frame member 25 into position against the head il l. Theenlarged, outwardly bowed portions of the tweezers jaws 26 and 29 thenmove the levers it, l l into the position in which they are shown inFigure l. The linger-engaging portions l 2 are fully exposed andavailable to the fingers of the user. The rod 26 may be suitablyadjusted in the nut 23 to insure that the parts are in the properposition in which they are shown in Figure 1.

When the user wishes to use the device he merely draws the outer ends ofthe levers Ill, l I together by gripping with the fingers the nngerportions l2 of the two levers. The result is a camming action of the camportions i3 of the levers along the opposed converging portions Ia ofthe tweezers jaws. The initial result is to force the opposed surfacesSi) together. Thereafter, a continued grip on the nger-pieces i2 of thelevers I@ and iI results in a sudden snap action against the spring 2t.If the user positions the opposed gripping surfaces 3i) about a hairbefore or at the time he begins to squeeze in on the finger portions ofthe levers It, the result will be an initial gripping of the hair,followed by a sharpl jerk of the tweezers. The result is a quick andrelatively painless removal of a hair.

It will be realized that whereas I have de scribed and shown a practicaland operative device, nevertheless many changes may be made in size,shape, numberv and disposition of parts without departing from thespirit of my inventi'cn. I therefore wish my description and drawings tobe taken as, in a broad sense, illustrative or diagrammatic rather thanas limiting me to the specific structure or structures herein describedand shown.

I claim:

1. In a tweezers device, a housing formed and adaptedrto serve as ahandle, a gripping assembly slidably mounted within said handle, formovement along a generally rectilinear path, said gripping assemblyincluding opposed gripping members which are movable in unison, yieldingmeansV adapted normally to hold said gripping assembly in extendedposition, an actuating assembly for initially moving the grippingmembers together into gripping contact and for thereafter sharplyretracting the gripping assembly after the gripping members have reachedgripping position, said actuating assenibiy including a pair ofactuating members pivoted to and within the housing and extendingoutwardly oi the housing, and having exterior nngerV-receiving portions,each said actuating member being opposed to and being formed and adaptedto contact one of the gripping members in camming relationship, saidyielding means being adapted to permit such sharp retraction in responseto the movement toward each other of the actuating members kabout andagainst theV gripping members.

Y 2. In a tweezers device, a housing formed and adapted to serve as ahandle, a gripping assembly slidably mounted within said handle formovement along a generally rectilinear path, said gripping assemblyVincluding opposed gripping members which are movable in unison and abase, to which said gripping members are secured,

said base being located within said handle, means for guiding said basefor movement along a pre- 4. determined limited path in said handle,means for normally urging said base toward one end of its possiblemovement along said guiding means, with the gripping members extending amaximum distanceoutwardly from said housing, and actuating members,movably mounted on said housing and adapted, whenV moved a predetermineddistance toward each other, to cause a sharp retraction of the grippingmembers toward the interior of the housing. I

3.' The structure of claim 1, characterized by and including means foradjusting the initialV a sharp inward movement of said gripping memberstoward the interior of said handle, and means for normally holding saidgripping members in outer and non-gripping position including a springcompressed between an inner sur face of said housing and said grippingassembly.

WILLIAM R. HEILIG.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le ofthis patent:Y Y Y yUNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Number Heilig July11, 1939

